Chair exercises can be very beneficial for seniors, offering a safe way to get a good workout. Some chair exercise programs are regular exercise programs, often accompanied by music. Chair dancing programs offer dance moves and tunes ranging from the Charleston to hip hop. A chair boxing workout offers aggressive self-defense exercises.
While most chair exercise programs are quite safe, seniors should contact their physicians and physical therapists before starting one.
Chair Exercises
There are many regular chair exercise program videos and DVDs specifically designed for seniors. The National Center on Physical Activity and Disability maintains a large descriptive list of videos and DVDs, “Exercise Videos for Older Adults and Seniors,” with a detailed analysis of each program.
One of the DVDs recommended by the National Center on Physical Activity and Disability is “Sit and Be Fit,” created by Mary Ann Wilson, RN. The program has been shown on Public Broadcasting Service televisions in the United States and Canada for more than 20 years. The 30-minute program is specifically designed for seniors and other adults desiring a chair exercise program with gentle, slow movements.
Chair Dancing
For seniors who want a more intense chair exercise workout, various types of chair aerobics and chair dancing DVDs are available. Centralhome.com maintains a collection, “Senior Citizen Dance and Exercise Videos.”
Centralhome.com recommends the “Armchair Fitness for Seniors–Dance Aerobics” of Betty Switkes, a former employee of the National Institute on Aging, who created one of the first chair aerobics programs. This 60-minute DVD focuses on strengthening and stretching motions, with the goal of enhancing muscle strength and stamina.
The National Institutes of Health, in a weight loss pamphlet titled “Active at Any Size,” suggests that chair exercisers review the chair dancing DVDs of Jodi Stolove. Ms. Stolove began developing her trademarked chair dancing programs when she fractured her ankle years ago and was forced to teach her exercise classes while sitting in a chair.
Ms. Stolove has recently produced a 40-minute DVD on “Chair Dancing Through the Decades.” The program is intended to provide aerobic exercise, tone muscles, improve flexibility and burn calories to tunes ranging from big band swing to disco.
Chair Boxing
“Chair Boxing,” a DVD produced by the Chair Aerobics for Everyone series, offers a vigorous 38-minute upper body workout,that promises to relieve stress and build self-confidence. This could also be useful for seniors seeking self-defense training.
Future developments in aggressive chair exercise DVDs may include karate wheelchair DVDs. An Irish Wheelchair Karate Federation now exists, among other disability karate groups. There has been online discussion of whether the wheelchair karate groups should develop beginners’ DVDs.
